


Post Script (Every Ending is a New Beginning)

by weethreequarter



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Friendship, Getting Together, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Star Trek (2009), Post-Star Trek Beyond, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness, Wedding, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 16:58:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15845499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weethreequarter/pseuds/weethreequarter
Summary: The end of every story offers a new beginning for Jim and Bones. In the aftermath of Narada, Khan, and Krall, they take their first steps forward.





	Post Script (Every Ending is a New Beginning)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the first two pages of this years ago, then got stuck. A few weeks ago, I was bored at work, opened it up, and wrote another thirteen pages. And so, here we go.

**2258**

When the Enterprise finally docked, they were instantly bombarded by press, well-wishers and Starfleet; none more so than the senior staff. Pike was whisked away to the hospital for further examination, although it was suspected that Bones' quick thinking and surgical acumen had definitely saved his life and probably his legs. But after passing his patient off to more qualified doctors, Bones turned to study his crew. And he saw, behind the smiles and acceptance of thanks and adoration, that they were all exhausted. But it was when his eyes fell on Jim that he determined to do something about it.

 

“Right,” he snapped loudly. “As Chief Medical Officer, I am ordering this whole crew off duty for at least forty eight hours with no interruptions. I said, no interruptions: am I clear?” The glower that accompanied his words made it clear that he was not a man to be messed with. The crew shot him grateful looks as they slunk off to their bunks. Bones caught Jim's eye and nodded towards their own quarters. In return, he received a grateful but weary smile. 

 

Once they were away from the prying eyes of the press, Jim visibly deflated. The pressure was off; he could relax. Without a word, Bones slung an arm around his friend's shoulders, providing some much needed support. He bit back a smile when Jim's arm came to rest, somewhat feebly, on his hip. Slowly, they navigated to corridors to their dorm room, until the blissful moment when the door locked behind them. 

 

“I could sleep for a week,” Jim muttered, stumbling away from Bones. 

 

“Not yet,” Bones insisted. “Shower first.” When Jim opened his mouth to protest, Bones added, “Trust me Jim, you'll feel better not sleeping in your own muck. Besides, you smell like a Gorn's ass.”

 

“How do you know what a Gorn's ass smells like?” Jim smiled sleepily.

 

“I'm a doctor,” Bones retorted, pushing his friend towards the bathroom. 

 

Jim slumped against the sink, his head lolling to one side. Bones sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing for it.

 

“Arms up,” he ordered, grasping the bottom of Jim's shirt and yanking it over his head as soon as Jim complied. One of the benefits of being a doctor, it turned out, was the ability to strip your best friend without embarrassment or the sudden urge to book himself into therapy for life. Leaning past Jim, Bones flicked on the shower. But another glance towards his friend made Bones sigh. Jim was practically falling asleep against the counter. The fact that he had failed to make even one suggestive comment about Bones removing his clothes proved it. The idiot would probably drown if left to his own devices. Divesting his own clothes, Bones pushed Jim towards the now warm water. He received a raised eyebrow and small smirk – which did wonders for him, reassuring him that despite the exhaustion it was still Jim Kirk in front of him.

 

“You tell anyone about this, I'll deny it categorically,” Bones muttered. “Then I'll kill them. And when I've finished, I'll kill you.” 

 

Jim chuckled, already resting his head against the shower wall. Grabbing the soap, Bones began to scrub away the layer of grime that had taken residence on Jim's skin. There was nothing remotely sexual about it for either of them; it was simply about caring for each other, for being able to do what the other couldn't. 

 

“Mmm,” Jim hummed, his eyes closed. “Feels good.”

 

“Told ya,” Bones replied. “You'll sleep better once you're clean.”

 

Jim chuckled, but allowed him to work in silence. However, when he reached to flick off the shower after washing Jim free of the dirt of the past three days, Jim's hand caught his wrist.

 

“Your turn,” Jim murmured in response to Bones' questioning look.

 

“Jim-”

 

“Bones,” he interrupted, “Shut up.” Jim smirked. “That's an order.”

 

“Jerk,” Bones muttered. But he let his hand drop, and allowed Jim to work. Jim’s sluggish movements were soothing, combined with the warmth and the blissful feeling of the grime of space washing away - not to mention simply Jim’s presence - easing his muscles into something less than extreme tension. 

 

Jim finished, setting aside the soap, then stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Bones’ waist from behind and burrowing his face into the junction between shoulder and neck.

 

“Hey,” Bones murmured. “You okay?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Jim replied, and Bones could feel the vibration of the words pass from Jim’s chest to his back.

 

“That’s not what I asked,” he said, turning slowly. Jim’s arms loosened as he did so, hands settling on Bones’ hips. Bones raised a hand to push Jim’s fringe back from where it was plastered against his forehead. He smiled; it stuck up in a mini cowlick.

 

“No, I’m not okay,” Jim admitted. “But we won. That’s what matters.”

 

“Right now, what matters is getting some sleep,” Bones said. He reached past Jim to turn off the shower, then tugged his friend out of the cubicle and handed him a towel. He kept half an eye on Jim as they dried themselves off; he was flagging again, but managed on his own. Then Bones retrieved a pair of sleep pants each, tossing Jim’s to him, and collapsed into bed. He wasn’t surprised when Jim climbed in next to him, tucking himself between Bones’ arm and body, his nose pressing into his neck. It was hardly the first time they’d shared a bed, and would likely not be the last. Bones carded his fingers into Jim’s hair. “Sleep,” he ordered quietly.

 

“Yes sir,” Jim murmured, his breath dancing across Bones’ shoulder. 

 

Bones waited until Jim’s breathing evened out into quiet, puffing snores, before allowing himself to settle into Jim’s embrace and let sleep claim him.

 

X

 

The following days, well, they sucked the big one. Everyone wanted a piece of the Enterprise’s crew, and none more so than the hero of the hour, James T Kirk. Jim tried to protest that it was a team effort, that they never would’ve succeeded without Sulu’s fancy flying, or Scotty’s equation, or Spock’s help. But the press didn’t care. They wanted everything on the second Kirk to be a hero, never mind that Jim was barely hanging on by a thread at this point. 

 

Bones stood in the background and ground his teeth, glaring menacingly at anyone who went too far. 

 

Then there was the press conference, where the senior staff were required to attend. And still, the focus continued to shine brightest on Jim. The others were relieved, if a little guilty at the same time.

 

“This is horseshit,” Bones muttered to Uhura.

 

“I agree,” she replied. “How long until we can leave?”

 

“Too long,” Spock chipped in from Uhura’s other side. Bones hadn’t even been aware he was listening. Hobgoblin indeed. But even Spock, with his emotionless countenance, was looking weary, and from his vantage point, Bones could see Uhura’s hand squeezing Spock’s wrist supportively. It couldn’t be easy, Bones supposed, reliving your planet and your mother’s demise repeatedly. Bones knew for a fact that Chekov was still beating himself up over his failure to save Amanda. He was the one who’d comforted the kid. 

 

Because that was the thing, except for Bones himself and Scotty, the rest of them were still kids. And he felt it was his responsibility, not just because he was CMO, to take care of them. Scotty seemed to be doing his bit too; whenever he received a question from the press, he went off on a long, tangent full explanation that left the reporters blinking owlishly at him, but gave the rest of the crew several minutes relief. Bones wondered if that was just Scotty being Scotty, until he caught his eye after one such answer and Scotty winked at him. Bones smiled. He’d have to get that man a scotch or several. 

 

Finally it was over. Uhura and Spock disappeared together, and Bones saw Sulu into the arms of his new boyfriend, Ben - who was a saint - and made sure Scotty had Chekov. Which left him with Jim.

 

“Come on,” he grunted. “Let’s get you home.”

 

“No,” Jim shook his head. “Not yet. I don’t wanna… Can we just, go, get something to eat? Be… normal for thirty minutes?”

 

Bones stared at him.

 

“Sure,” he relented. “But no stealing my fries. Get your own.”

 

Jim smiled, his first real smile since the Enterprise landed, and they headed out.

 

Jim had found the diner in their first month at the Academy. It had a name, but everyone knew it as simply the diner, and it served the best comfort food in all of San Francisco. It became the place for Jim and Bones to go to, after a brutal night out, or to refuel during exams, or simply to chat and tease each other. Jim always insisted he didn’t need extra fries, then spent the entire time filching from Bones’ plate. Despite his warning otherwise, Bones didn’t order extra fries for Jim, content to allow him to steal from his plate, to give Jim a slice of the normality they both craved. 

 

“You think we could get them to open up on the Enterprise?” Jim asked, licking BBQ sauce from his wrist.

 

“Doubt it would taste the same coming from a replicator,” Bones replied. “Use a napkin you heathen. Didn’t anybody ever teach you any manners?”

 

Jim grinned at stole another fry. 

 

Suddenly they became aware of a small child approaching the table. She clutched a notebook in one hand.

 

“Are you Captain Kirk?” she asked, looking up nervously through her eyelashes.

 

“Yeah, I am,” Jim replied. 

 

“Can I have your autograph please?”

 

“Sure thing,” Jim smiled. He wiped off his hands, then took the notebook, scribbling his sorry excuse for a signature - anyone who criticised doctors’ penmanship had clearly never encountered Jim Kirk’s handwriting. “There you go.”

 

“Thank you. I want to be a captain in Starfleet too,” the girl said.

 

“I’m sure you’ll be a great captain,” Jim smiled.

 

The girl beamed, then scampered back to her family.

 

“Why can’t they all be like that?” Jim murmured.

 

Bones eyed him. Then he pushed the remainder of his fries towards Jim.

 

“Knock yourself out, kid.”

 

“Your getting soft, Bones,” Jim grinned. 

 

“Yeah, well, tell anybody and they won’t ever find your body,” Bones grumbled. 

 

They were almost back to their dorm, when Jim tensed. Bones followed his gaze, frowning, until he spotted the crowd of reporters waiting outside the building.

 

“Damn.”

 

“I can’t do it,” Jim muttered. “Bones, I can’t do it. I can’t talk to them again.”

 

“Okay, okay,” Bones replied. He tugged them into a side street. “Okay.”

 

Bones made a quick inventory of what they had - only what they were wearing. He exhaled. 

 

“Right.”

 

Then he reached out, pulling up the hood on Jim’s shirt, pulling it as far forward as possible. He turned up the collar of his own jacket, and found the pair of sunglasses that had been lounging in his pocket for weeks, shoving them onto Jim’s face despite the fact it was nearly dusk. Then he wrapped his arm around Jim’s shoulder, turning their bodies in towards each other, ducking their heads low.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

They walked slowly, Bones murmuring to Jim the entire time, hoping to give off the aura of a loved up couple, shifting through the journalists without giving them another glance. Once inside, Jim relaxed, sagging against Bones in the elevator.

 

“We made it,” Bones assured him, tucking Jim’s head under his chin. Jim’s hand fisted in Bones’ shirt, and Bones dropped a kiss onto the crown of his head. 

 

In their room, Jim tore off his hoodie, balling it up and throwing it into the corner of the room.

 

“I hate it. I hate them,” he exclaimed. 

 

“Yeah, me too,” Bones nodded. “They’re vultures.”

 

“They’re, they’re worse than vultures,” Jim snapped. “They’re parasites. I mean, Jesus Christ Bones, we nearly died. People  _ did  _ die. Don’t they care?”

 

“No. Apart from the fact it adds to the story. You can’t interview a corpse,” Bones shrugged. He sat down on his bed, leaning against the headboard and toeing off his boots before swinging his legs up. 

 

“Parasites,” Jim spat, before throwing himself down beside Bones. Bones wrapped an arm around Jim’s shoulders. “Bones, could we got out together?”

 

“We just got back,” Bones frowned.

 

“No.” Jim sat up. “I mean, could we go out? On a date?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because everything feels crazy right now, except for you,” Jim replied. “You feel right. And I realised, in the middle of all that chaos, that I care about you. A lot. So what d’you say?”

 

Bones scooted forward. He took Jim’s face in his hands, pausing briefly to give him a chance to object, then leaned in and kissed him. His stomach jumped as Jim’s mouth moved against his, and he delighted in the pressure as Jim’s hand pressed against the small of his back. 

 

“Yeah,” Bones said when they broke apart. “I think we could do that.”

 

X

 

**2259**

Once Spock left, and they were alone, Bones set aside the medical equipment to study his boyfriend. The bruises from the fight with Khan were losing the harsh purple and beginning to yellow, the scars had started to knit, although the red lines still stood out starkly against Jim’s paler than usual skin, and the shadows under his eyes remained pronounced despite being asleep for days.

 

“Well Jim, you look like shit,” Bones declared.

 

Jim chuckled then winced.

 

“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

 

“That’s what happens when you poison yourself with radiation,” Bones replied, trying - and failing somewhat - to keep his tone light.

 

Jim held out a hand. Bones took it, reaching out with his other hand to brush Jim’s hair. Jim took his hand and brushed his lips along the knuckles.

 

“Really glad I get the chance to do that again,” he murmured.

 

“If you weren’t dead a few days ago, I would slap you,” Bones whispered. 

 

“Yeah, let’s save that ‘til I’m out of hospital and able to enjoy it,” Jim smirked, waggling his eyebrows.

 

Bones snorted.

 

“Kinky little shit,” he shook his head. He fixed Jim with a mock serious stare. “You know, you owe me. For dying on me like that.”

 

“I’ll make it up to you,” Jim croaked.

 

Bones helped him drink some water.

 

“You bet your ass you will,” he agreed, tone belaying the butterflies in his stomach. “I have a list.”

 

Jim chuckled.

 

“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s on the list?”

 

“Well, for starters, you can marry me.”

 

Jim stared at him but, despite the fact that it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room, Bones could still breathe easily. He knew, no matter what Jim’s answer was, that he was not leaving this idiot’s side. They were together, married or not, and as nervous as actually asking made him, he knew that nothing would change that. 

 

A slow smile spread across Jim’s face. He leaned his head back against the pillows, his grip tightening on Bones’ hand. 

 

“Yeah, I reckon I could do that,” he whispered.

 

Bones grinned.

 

“And I’m gonna want a house,” he added. “A proper one, with four walls and a door that slams. None of that electronic shit. I ain’t starting married life in Starfleet housing.”

 

“Okay, a house with a door,” Jim nodded. “What else?”

 

“You gotta promise never to do that to me again,” Bones said, serious now.

 

“I can’t do that,” Jim whispered.

 

“Yeah. Figured that,” Bones smiled. “Still, I had to ask. And two out of three ain’t bad.”

 

“Isn’t there a song like that?” Jim frowned.

 

“I don’t know anything about classical music,” Bones shrugged. “But in that case, I am insisting on one hell of a honeymoon.”

 

“Oh I think we can do that,” Jim grinned. “We’ll show the world exactly how to honeymoon. They may to change the definition. No honeymoon is ever going to be greater than our honeymoon.”

 

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

 

“Would you get down here and kiss me already?” Jim laughed. 

 

Bones had no objections with that plan. He’d been waiting to kiss Jim again for  _ days _ . 

 

When they parted, Jim frowned. Before Bones could ask what was wrong, Jim asked, “So, if I have Khan’s blood now. Does this mean I’m gonna develop, like, super strength and stuff?”

 

“I swear,” Bones muttered. “If you hadn’t been dead, I would slap you.”

 

X

 

Of course, the press swarmed again. 

 

Jim had now surpassed his father, saving the world not once but twice. Of course, this time Jim was older and wiser and much more willing to tell them when to stop. He was able to stand up for his crew and himself, and didn’t push himself too far in the dog and pony show. It helped, in Bones’ opinion, having the wedding to plan. The press of course wanted in on that too, but on that point both Jim and Bones were adamant that they wanted their privacy. 

 

Christopher Pike’s funeral was a particularly painful pause in the proceedings. The press were there too, snapping away in the background. But Jim refused to speak to them that day. He made a good show of standing stoic with the other Starfleet captains and admirals, however as soon as he was able to rejoin his crew, his tight grip on Bones’ hand revealed how hard the day really was for him.

 

That night, lying in bed together with the remnants of Jim’s tears still drying on his face and Bones’ shoulder, Bones turned to him and said, “You know, Christopher could be a good name for a son one day.”

 

Jim was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.

 

“Yeah. You’re right.”

 

“I mean, if he hadn’t kicked your ass into gear, I never would’ve met you,” Bones pointed out. 

 

Jim chuckled.

 

“And you love my ass.”

 

“It is the eighth wonder of the universe,” Bones dead-panned. 

 

That cracked Jim up; he rolled into Bones’ side, burying his face into his fiance’s shoulder as he laughed. 

 

X

 

Bones woke with a wheeze, gulping in a lungful of air. He scrabbled at the covers, pushing them away and definitely not panicking when they tangled around his hips and stuck there, until he was able to sit up. He breathed deep, leaning his elbows against his knees and burrowing his face in his hands. And he sat like that, waiting for his heart rate to return to normal. He glanced to his left, where Jim was asleep, curled on his side with his mouth hanging open, drooling a little on the pillow, and looking like the most beautiful thing Bones had ever seen. 

 

Because he was  _ alive _ .

 

Unlike in Bones’ dream, where he was back on the Enterprise, staring down at the body bag that held the love of his life, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. He could still feel his heart clenching, could feel his lungs stop working, could remember wondering how he was still standing when he was no longer breathing. Then the terror and panic as he realised he couldn’t breathe but he couldn’t die, he was neither with Jim nor with his friends, and he just didn’t know what to do-

 

Bones inhaled sharply, shaking his head to dislodge the image of Jim’s lifeless body. 

 

Jim was here, he was alive, and he was snoring in the bed next to him. 

 

Bones lay down slowly, curling himself around Jim and pressing his face between his shoulder blades. 

 

X

 

Bones doubted he would ever feel anything like the cocktail of love and joy and contentment that filled their wedding day. If he believed in things like fate, he would say the stars aligned or whatever crap, to make it a picture perfect day, the sun beaming down on the secluded park they’d found for the ceremony. Spock, as first officer, officiated, while Scotty and Uhura stood as witnesses and Chekov, and Sulu and his family watched. Sulu and Ben’s adorable new daughter, Demora, charmed everyone by announcing to them each individually that she had a new dress for the occasion. Bones would swear he even saw Spock’s mouth twitch towards a smile. 

 

But seeing Jim with her, damn, seeing Jim with her reminded Bones of that little girl in the diner all those years back. Jim just lit up around children, and Bones couldn’t help think of their brief conversation and silently promised himself  _ someday _ . 

 

“Well,” Bones murmured as they danced, “We did it.”

 

“Yeah, we did,” Jim smiled. 

 

Bones leaned forward to kiss his husband, just because he could, and delighted in the thrill that calling Jim  _ husband  _ caused. 

 

“And I believe I owe you the best honeymoon ever,” Jim continued. 

 

“I don’t know, you built it up a lot,” Bones sighed. “That’s a lot to live up to. You sure you’re up to it?”

 

Jim leaned in close.

 

“What better way to find out if I really have inherited super stamina from Khan?” he teased, his breath tickling Bones’ ear and doing all sorts of things to him.

 

“As a doctor and a scientist, I’m going to need a lot of data,” Bones replied. He pulled their bodies flush together. “Lots and lots of data. And, you know, for a theory to be confirmed, it needs to be replicated more than once.”

 

“I think I’m up to the challenge,” Jim replied.

 

“Yeah?” Bones smirked, before kissing Jim again, biting back a groan when he felt Jim’s tongue press against his lips.

 

“Get a room!” Scotty yelled.

 

“Now that sound like the best idea I’ve heard in at least an hour,” Jim grinned.

 

They said their goodnights and found a cab. Jim leaned back against Bones’ chest, tucking his head under his chin and twining their left hands. They both stared at the rings on their fingers. Bones smiled, pressing a kiss into Jim’s hair. 

 

“Love you,” he whispered.

 

“I love you too,” Jim replied. 

 

The cab dropped them off at their house - with four walls, and a door that slammed, as per Bones’ instructions - but Jim stopped him on the doorstep.

 

“Okay, who’s carrying who?” he asked.

 

“What?”

 

“It’s tradition,” Jim insisted, unlocking the door. “Who’s carrying who over the threshold?”

 

Bones sighed, rolled his eyes, and Jim opened his mouth to object. But before he could say anything, Bones’ arms snaked around his thighs, and he hoisted Jim onto his shoulder.

 

“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Jim laughed from the fireman’s lift. “Not that I’m complaining about the view.”

 

Bones laughed and smacked a kiss onto Jim’s hip.

 

“Okay, let me down,” Jim said once they were inside.

 

“Nah,” Bones smirked, holding Jim in place with one hand while he locked the door.

 

“Bones, lemme down!” Jim laughed. 

 

“LIke you said, I’m enjoying the view,” Bones teased, patting Jim’s ass. 

 

“You are an evil, evil man,” Jim declared.

 

“And you’ve only just realised this now?” Bones replied, beginning to climb the stairs.

 

“No, I think I realised it the first time you hyposprayed me,” Jim said. He squealed with laughter as Bones tossed him down onto the bed. “Evil,” he repeated, catching Bones’ tie and pulling him forward, until Bones’ knees bumped the edge of the mattress. Bones caressed Jim’s face with one hand; Jim turned his head, pressing his lips to his wrist, before using the tie to pull Bones down for a kiss that quickly morphed into multiple. By the time they drew breath, Jim had removed Bones’ tie and pushed his jacket from his shoulders. Shuffling back onto the bed, they quickly divested each other of the rest of their clothes. 

 

Later, when they were sweaty and sated, they lay in each others arms with Jim drawing patterns against Bones’ chest with his forefinger. Bones buried his nose in Jim’s hair.

 

“Best husband ever,” Jim murmured.

 

Bones smiled. 

 

“I’ve only been your husband for…” He craned his neck to see the clock. “... Eleven hours.”

 

Jim hummed.

 

“You’re setting the bar high,” he replied. 

 

Bones chuckled, kissing the shell of Jim’s ear. 

 

“Guess to only way is down, then.”

 

“Nah,” Jim yawned. “The only way is up.”

 

X

 

**2263**

Bones nipped at the sensitive spot behind Jim’s ear, drawing a moan from his husband.

 

“Fuck,” Jim groaned.

 

Bones lifted his mouth, just long enough to tease, “Not in the turbolift, dear,” before continuing his assault on Jim’s neck. 

 

That drew a breathy chuckle from Jim, who turned his head, bumping their foreheads together until Bones stopped sucking another hickey on his neck and caught Jim’s mouth with his own. 

 

“Happy birthday, darling,” he whispered. 

 

“Thanks for the party, Bones,” Jim gasped. 

 

“You liked it?”

 

“Uh huh.”

 

Jim used Bones’ shoulders to hike himself up, wrapping his legs around Bones’ waist as the turbolift arrived at their floor. 

 

“Oh hello,” Bones grinned. 

 

He carried Jim out of the lift, along the hall to the door of their assigned apartment, holding Jim steady so he could unlock the door even while licking his collarbones. Then once inside, Jim tore off his own leather jacket before pushing Bones’ from his shoulders.

 

“Now,” Jim panted between kisses. “I believe… I was… Promised something. Back in the lift.”

 

“Impatient,” Bones retorted, sitting down on the bed, then making Jim squeal by lying down and pulling him with him.

 

X

 

“So, I was offered a vice admirals position, and I turned it down,” Jim announced as they caught their breath. He turned his head towards Bones. “You mad?”

 

“You think you made the wrong decision?” Bones asked. 

 

“No. I made the right one.”

 

“Then no,” he replied.

 

“Yeah, but a vice admiral? That means no more five year missions, no more living in space, not as much danger,” Jim continued, rolling on top of him. “And it means staying on earth.”

 

“Jim,” Bones shook his head, before cutting Jim of with a kiss. “Do I love space? No. Am I ever going to love space? No. Hell, I’m never even going to like it. But I love you. And I want you to be happy. So if you’re happy in space, that’s where I’m gonna be. Hell, I can be grumpy anywhere.”

 

Jim laughed, pressing their foreheads together. 

 

“I love you.”

 

“Who wouldn’t?” Bones asked innocently, wincing as Jim boffed his head with a pillow. “There is, however,” he continued, running his hands through Jim’s hair, “Something I wanted to talk about.” He held up his left hand, waggling the finger that held his wedding ring. “We’ve been married three years soon.”

 

“Together five,” Jim added. “Damn, we’re getting old, aren’t we? Was that what you wanted to talk about?”

 

Bones flipped them so he was on top and Jim was looking up at him.

 

“No,” he said, punctuating it with a kiss. “We’ve been married three years, and with us being stationary for a year or so, again, while they finish the Enterprise, again, I was thinking now might be a good time to talk about kids. Like, do we want them.”

 

Jim’s face was unreadable as he reached up, running his thumb over Bones’ face. 

 

“Do you want kids?” he asked quietly.

 

“Yes,” Bones replied. “I do. But I want you more. And if it’s not something you want, fine.”

 

“I want kids,” Jim said slowly. “I could never really picture myself being a husband, but I always saw myself being a dad one day. But, but our lives. Bones. I just nearly died, again.”

 

“You can’t live in fear of the could be or the might happens,” Bones pointed out. He gave a wry smile. “Besides, I’m ain’t gonna lie, I’m kinda hoping that a kid might be a deterrent to stop you from getting into quite so many near death situations.”

 

“I wouldn’t put money on it,” Jim said.

 

“Neither would I,” Bones agreed. Wasn’t that a testament to how well they knew each other? “I gotta say though, Jim, I think we’d make some mighty fine babies.”

 

“Me too,” Jim smiled.

 

“Think about it? Yeah?” Bones asked. 

 

“Yeah,” Jim promised. “Now, are you tired, or…?” 

 

He rolled his hips. Bones smirked.

 

“Go easy on this old man,” he teased.

 

Jim flipped them over.

 

“Don’t worry Bones,” he said, leaning down to give him a filthy kiss. “I’ll do all the heavy lifting.”

 

X

 

“I wanna be there when Spock tells Uhura that he gave her a tracking device necklace,” Bones declared, watching the first officer and communications officer talking across the park. Even Bones had to admit, it was almost easy to forget they were inside a floating bubble of death, a snow globe in space just waiting to smash in the ‘outside’ spaces. Almost. 

 

“Bones, play nice,” Jim scolded. “Besides, you’d totally imprint me with a tracking device if you could.”

 

“Of course I would,” Bones agreed. “That’s just common sense. Anyone who’s ever met you would do the same thing.”

 

Jim chuckled, leaning into his side. Bones felt his gaze drift, and followed it towards Sulu and his family. It was amazing how much Demora had grown, it always was, every time they saw her on shore leave. Bones wondered if he should say something, bring up their conversation from the other night. But Jim beat him to it.

 

“Adoption or surrogacy?” he asked.

 

“Who says we can’t do both?” Bones replied lightly.

 

“You planning something I don’t know about Bones?” Jim laughed.

 

“Think my dad’s been wrangling for a McCoy family football team forever. Whole team of little McCoys.”

 

“What about little Kirks?” Jim asked.

 

“Only if you wanna send me to an early grave,” Bones retorted, ruffling Jim’s hair. “What does this mean?” he asked.

 

“It means I’m thinking about it,” Jim replied. 

 

“Okay,” Bones nodded. 

 

Jim settled in his arms, and they watched their team - their family - enjoying the artificial sunlight together.

 

Until eventually Jim said, “I think I’d want to try surrogacy, if we decided yes.”

 

Bones smiled.

 

X

 

He was wrong, Bones realised. He thought, five years ago on his wedding day, that it was impossible to be happier than he was that day. But now he realised he was so, so wrong. 

 

With a grin on his face and tears in his eyes, neither of which had any chance of subsiding soon, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the sight of his husband holding their newborn son. Jim himself was staring at the infant in his arms with stunned disbelief, as if his brain hadn’t quite caught up with the fact that this baby was theirs.

 

“God, Bones, he’s perfect,” Jim said.

 

“Yeah,” Bones croaked. “Pretty damn perfect.” 

 

“Hey, you should have a turn,” Jim insisted.

 

“Not like I got such a raw deal right now,” Bones pointed out. Hell, he doubted he’d ever see  _ anything  _ as wonderful as his two boys. 

 

After some very careful and awkward maneuvering yet thankfully little crying, their son was lying in Bones’ arms. The little boy’s face scrunched up; he opened and closed his mouth a few times, considering crying.

 

“Shh, it’s okay,” Bones assured him. “Daddy’s right here, he hasn’t gone anywhere.”

 

“Yeah, I’m here Chrissy,” Jim added, letting Christopher’s hand wrap around his forefinger and, Jesus, that made him look so tiny and fragile. 

 

Content he had both his fathers’ attention, Christopher settled down. 

 

“Well, we did it,” Bones said.

 

“We did it,” Jim agreed.

 

“Sure hope this little guy inherited your love of space, or it’s gonna be a long five years,” Bones added.

 

Jim laughed. They had two months at home with Christopher, before flying out to Yorktown for the launch of the new Enterprise. 

 

“You think we can do this?” Bones asked.

 

“Yeah,” Jim smiled. “I think we can do this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me rambling on tumblr here: [weethreequarter](https://weethreequarter.tumblr.com)  
> 


End file.
